Whale Rider's Niki Caro is set to direct the film adaptation of the novel by Diane Ackerman based on the true story of how keepers at Warsaw Zoo helped save hundreds from the Nazi invasion, The Hollywood Reporter revealed.

Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica will play Antonina Zabinski, who along with her husband Jan, a member of the Polish resistance, began smuggling Jews into empty cages after the zoo was destroyed in the Polish invasion.

Antonia kept a mixture of humans and surviving animals, including lynxes and hyena pup, creating a secret commune, living and socialising together, with even the occasional piano concert.

The book, based on her fascinating true story, was published in 2007 and the screenplay has been written by Angela Workman.